Current Affairs Quiz - April 2022

Notes:
Odisha celebrates the 86th foundation day of the state on April 1, known as ‘Utkal Divas’. It is on the same day that the state became independent in the year 1936.
Utkal Divas, also known as Odisha Day and Utkala Dibasa, commemorates the struggle which gained a separate identity for the state.

Notes:
The venture capital fund (VCF) scheme was implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to help aspiring entrepreneurs belonging to SCs and OBCs new businesses. As the performance of the scheme is not satisfactory, the Ministry is set to launch a “mentorship” programme.
Named the ‘Ambedkar Young Entrepreneur-Mentor’ (AYE-Mentor) programme, the IFCI Venture, which is the VCF manager, will empanel businessmen or heads of companies or veterans of banking and financial institutions, as ‘mentors’.

Notes:
India and Australia signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (IndAus ECTA). It seeks to provide -duty access to 96 per cent of India’s exports to Australia.
The exports include engineering goods, gems and jewellery, textiles, apparel and leather. The pact is expected to boost bilateral trade in goods and services to USD 45-50 billion over five years and generate over one million jobs in India.

Notes:
‘Sajibu Nongma Panba’ is a traditional festival for the followers of the Sanamahism religion in Manipur, as a Lunar New Year.
The day is mostly observed on the first day of the lunar month of Sajibu.  Also known as Meetei Cheiraoba or Sajibu Cheiraoba, the festival is celebrated by the Meitei people, one of the largest ethnic communities in Manipur.

Notes:
‘Global Collaboration Advanced Vaccinology Training’ meeting was recently held in Geneva. In the meeting, the need for a basic vaccinology training module for healthcare personnel across the world was discussed.
India was represented by Dr N.K. Arora, head of the Covid-19 working group in the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NTAGI). The Group makes vaccine recommendations on the basis of disease burden, efficacy and cost effectiveness.

Notes:
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced that India’s merchandise exports rose to a record high of USD 418 billion in the 2021-22 fiscal.
The rise is due to the higher shipments of petroleum products, engineering goods, gems and jewellery and chemicals. India’s goods trade (exports and imports) crossed USD 1 trillion during 2021-22. India’s imports also touched an all-time high of USD 610 billion.

Notes:
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has entered into a partnership with Canada’s largest payment organisation, Payments Canada.
The partnership aims to transform its payment system operations and help in the implementation of the Real-Time Rail (RTR). RTR is a new real-time payments system that will allow Canadian users to initiate payments and receive funds in seconds at any point of the day.

Notes:
Sweden has launched a pilot project to reduce the carbon emissions involved in steel production by switching some of that process from burning coking coal to burning hydrogen.
HYBRIT or Hydrogen Breakthrough Iron-making Technology – is a joint venture between steel giant SSAB, mining company LKAB and Swedish state-owned power firm Vattenfall. As per World Steel Association, every metric ton of steel produced emitted twice that much carbon dioxide.

Notes:
India’s agricultural products export touched a new milestone by crossing USD 50 billion in the year 2021-22.
This is also the highest level ever achieved for agriculture exports from India. The agricultural exports have grown by 19.92% during 2021-22 to touch USD 50.21 billion. As per the data, the highest ever exports have been achieved for staples like rice (USD 9.65 billion), wheat (USD 2.19 billion), sugar (USD 4.6 billion).

Notes:
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology formed a 17 member advisory committee to guide the Rs 76,000 crore-Semiconductor Mission.
The Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw will be the Chairperson of the committee. NITI Aayog member V K Saraswat, Principal Scientific Advisor, and Secretaries from the Ministry of External affairs, Departments of expenditure, economic affairs, and promotion of industry and internal trade, will be members of the committee.